This is one of those book that makes you think and gives you hope. Hazel and her friends are the hope for a future when sexual harassment and bullying are things of the past
The author did an excellent job in dealing with very serious topics and never sound preachy or delivering a drammatic story.
It's compelling, thought provoking, and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Such a necessary book - I wish it weren't but it is.

Hazel and Ella and all the other girls' experiences are what we see in schools, on social media and on the streets every single day. The 11 year olds in my tutor group can give me multiple examples, each, of things they have heard, seen, or have been written to/about them.

This is a book I would put in every single school library - Y6 +. Though I worry that ever younger girls are being more and more exposed to this.

Let me make one thing clear: if I had read this when I was in middle school, I would have been absolutely feral about it. Totally unbearable. I would have forced everyone I knew to read it, and I would stand by that.

This book is an easy read with an incredibly strong message. When popular boy Tyler harasses Ella Quinn online, Hazel and her friends go to a teacher – an adult they expect to believe and support them – and when that fails have to cope with the question of what to do next: accept that that’s how life is, or work against the system that allows boys to be boys and encourages girls to grow up fast.

With a strong narrative voice, a very moral core, and a good amount of humour, ‘Hazel Hill’ is entertaining and extremely memorable.

I LOVED THIS!!! The cover? Stunning. The author? Excellent. The story? Enthralling. I was hooked from the get go and will definitely be recommending this to customers!

Hazel Hill is pretty much invisible at school and she likes it that way. She doesn't try to talk to people and people don't try to talk to her, except for Tyler Harris who sits next to her in one of her classes and tells her all his secrets, he tells her about his life in general and his crushes in particular.
One girl Tyler talks about a lot is the pretty and popular Ella Quinn. From what Tyler told Hazel, Ella Quinn doesn't seem like a very nice girl. Plus, the year before, she beat Hazel during the speech contest - the one and only thing Hazel excels at.
Then one day, Tyler's secret is that Ella Quinn has a crush on Hazel Hill and everyhting changes. I don't want to reveal too much but let's say that from that day on Hazel is not invisible anymore, she makes friends, and she's ready to fight for her friends with her one talent: making speeches.

I was absolutel bowled over by Hazel Gill is Gonna Win This One as a middle-grade queer story. The book boraches very sensitive subjects - harrassment, oversexualisation, gaslighting - with infinite care, humour and honesty. Hazel's voice shines through, up to her final speech which forces the adults to finally listen to her. Each character is wonderfully crafted, from bullies (whether they're pupil or teacher!), to loving parents who worry for their children but don't listen to them, a headmistress badly failing her duty of care - they're all richly described and totally engaging the reader's feelings. I didn't expect Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One to be a page turner but it really was and I can recommend it enough to not only children but also any adult who cares about children.

Amazing. Brilliant. Fantastic. Perfect.

This book needs to be read by everyone! And I mean everyone. Especially young people in school. It’s message is one everyone should know and take onboard. I love this book.

Hazel is amazing and I really resonated with her as well as Ella and Riley. The way their friendship blossomed and they all stuck by each other was so wholesome and enjoyable to follow along.

Tyler Tyler Tyler… I’ve known of and know of (and no doubt will come across many more Tyler’s in the future) guys like you my whole life and it’s sad. So so so sad that you think that way and spend a lot of effort to think that way. Do you not get bored? Do you not see what a massive loser and creep you are? I guess not. Sucks to be you.

The whole story was just amazing and honestly had me tearing up at points because of how overwhelmingly empowered I felt and how seen I felt. This is pure girl power and I’m so so so here for it!!

An easy five stars for a fabulous story!

I was drawn to this book as soon as I saw the cover, even more so when I read its summary, and I'm delighted to say that it still exceeded my expectations!

Hazel Hill, a middle-school loner who's happy working on her entry for a speech competition rather than socialising, is an entertaining narrator from the get-go. She's funny, both in her dialogue and narration (there were several instances when I laughed out loud whilst reading) and she is - for me at least - easy to identify with. It's an absolute pleasure to see her blossom throughout the story, and I'm excited to recommend this story to family members who are Hazel's age.

One of the book's key themes is feminism, and it is explored excellently. Hazel and her female classmates, for example, identify that one of their male peers gets away with constant inappropriate behaviour and they build a support network for each other whilst they begin to seek justice. Though the mentions of SA that are included in this plot may seem a bit adult for the novel's target audience, Maggie Horne does a BRILLIANT job of writing them in a non-condescending yet not too-adult way.

Children Hazel's age NEED this book, and I - as a 23-year-old woman - needed it too. I read this on a sun lounger by a pool in Greece in one afternoon, and I can't wait to read it again in many more places!

Hazel Hill is not one of the cool, popular crowd and although happy enough with herself does feel lonely without friends. Precisely because she has no friends in whom to confide Tyler Harris tells her a lot about himself, confident she has no one to pass it onto. Those secrets include all the girls he wants to date, those he is dating and then the fallout when they break up. But one day he tells Hazel a piece of news which affects herself and Ella Quinn, who is one of the cool popular girls. When Ella approaches Hazel she admits to Ella that Tyler has told her. This sets off a chain of events which involves unlikely friendships and a lot of heartache before the girls working together manage to find a way to solve their problems with Tyler.
This should not have been necessary when the girls had done the correct thing in telling an adult. However, the girls were not believed but Tyler’s lone voice was.
The book addresses serious issues of sexual harassment but has a lot of very clever, funny moments. Hazel Hill may not be col but she is clever. Describing her detention as “being stuck with a bunch of kids in non-vegan leather jackets who would peer-pressure me into experimenting with drugs” is just one brilliant line. Her family is great and the growing friendship and gentle hint at romance may be unlikely but is realistic.

This could be seen as 'Moxie' for younger readers - which is a compliment in itself.

Put this book in the hands of all middle grade aged children right now!

Gosh, this was not the fun queer-first-crush middle grade book I was expecting, but it was the feminist middle grade book we all deserve!

I am struggling to put into words how brilliant this book was and "how important" (yeah I know...but it is!) - it was full of heartbreaking and sadly relatable content, and still provided a number of laughs.

I found myself whispering encouragement and words of celebration when reading this on my train home.

This needs to in every school in the country, and discussed in classes. A+

This book…. this book. I am flawed and amazed and wowowow, I’ve only recently started reading middle grade and as my third book in the genre, I’d say it’s going wonderfully.

Hazel hill is gonna win this one, is a phenomenal book that perfectly encapsulates childhood feelings and the difficulty of being understood, listened to and respected at such a young age. Hazel and her friends fight against sexual harassment and stand up for themselves and others as a way to demonstrate that their age doesn’t reflect or limit their experiences.

It was beautiful, thoughtful and so delicate when it needed to be. but primarily it is full of little kids that shouldn’t have to fight but do, (and god do they put up a fight <3).

The subtle queerness in this book was also!! So good!!! It wasn’t a big thing, she was queer and that was it- her experiences and behaviour didn’t change and AHHHH. I love her, this book and anyone who helped make it.

The writing style is simple and feels like a hug with every sentence but is still infused with that feeling of childhood wonder, excitement and confusing feelings. You're telling me this author isn't still in middle school?? How is she in their heads?? True witchery.

This is a book everyone should read and everyone needs in their life. There is always a fight for the right thing happening- this book is that right thing. Overall: I love this book so so much and you will too.

Hazel Hill Is Going to Win this one is a really fun read. It follows the life of Hazel Hill a middle schooler who has no friends. She doesnt mind this fact because she is going to win the school speech contest no matter what, and friends would only hold her back.That doesn't stop a boy in her class, Tyler, from talking to her everyday, distracting her and telling her all his secrets. Tyler isn't Hazel's friend, because hazel doesn't do friends.

One day Tyler tells Hazel, a big secret. The kind of secret that would well and truly knock her off her game. Ella Quinn, the most popular girl in school, and Hazel's rival for the speech contest, has a crush, on her. This brings Hazel face to face, with Ella, her best friend Riley, and ultimately the whole school.

This book is all about self confidence, standing up for yourself, and most importantly, finding people who understand you, listen to you and love you for who you are. It tackles issues of sexual harrasment and coming out in a senstive way, as the the author has based the book around her own experiences.. The characters are really relatable, you definitely feel as though you are friends with Hazel, Ella and Riley, Riley was my personal favourite character, she reminded me a lot of myself, though absolutely wish I had Hazel's confidence!

A fun, relatable, middle grade read, which introduces the ideas of the Me Too movement in a way that all ages can understand.

A sweet story rooted in a very realistic premise. Perfect for young people to understand that speaking out is always the most important thing to do, find an adult who will support you.
I loved the friendship between the girls, and how their relationships developed throughout. Hazel was a lovely character with lots of personality, I think lots of young girls will like her.

Thank you to NetGallery for the advance copy of this book. I loved the fact that this book was loosely based on the author's real life experiences. Being a teenager is hard and this book encompasses that feeling perfectly. This book is for young teenagers to feel empowered and confident. The book covers important topics that are very current in schools. Hazel as a narrator is very comical and sensitive to others. Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys YA.

'Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One' by Maggie Horne is such an important book - it presents topics of cyberbullying, assault and feminism in a way which is completely accessible to young teenagers and will be a wonderfully inspiring narrative.

Hazel Hill starts the book academically brilliant but friendless and a bit stuck. She frequently find herself an outlet for the ramblings of popular boy Tyler, sharing his latest crush of the week. This all shifts when one day, Tyler says his ex-girlfriend has a crush... on Hazel! This causes her to go down a path of uncovering Tyler's vile actions towards girls in their year group, making a friend or even two, and perhaps finally winning the speech contest?

Hazel is such a fantastic character who is going to absolutely inspire a whole host of young people. She is a badass feminist who, despite being 12, will speak out for what is right. This book is for anyone who has been made to feel uncomfortable and then an adult brushed aside their feelings... never again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

It's a bit of a cliche to call a book "important," but that's the first word that comes to mind to describe this book. Horne tackles the thorny subject of sexual harassment with such grace, care and empathy. Without talking condescendingly to her readers, or minimizing how awful it can be to deal with, the book remains appropriate reading for its target audience, but never becomes a miserable reading experience, thanks to plenty of fun and touching moments as the girls become friends. Horne struck a fantastic balance in demonstrating that adults won't always listen or be sympathetic, and will often even victim-blame, but reinforcing that it is their responsibility to do something about harassment and that the girls were in the right by continuing to speak until someone heard them out. That Horne did this without condemning or assigning guilt or blame to those too afraid to speak out was incredibly impressive. Reflecting on this book, it's obvious how much careful thinking went into every aspect, but the book itself is so full of heart that the scaffolding vanishes when you dive in, and even divorced from all that, it's a really successful story.

One of the huge strengths of this novel is the characters- all so memorable and true to life that I found a wealth of memories from my own experiences at this age rushing back to me. Hazel in particular was such a fantastic protagonist, with some really witty narration but also realistic flaws and insecurities. I also really appreciated that Hazel's being gay was something that contributed to those worries, but by no means her whole struggle, and that this book didn't also try to be a love story (the beginnings of romantic development between Hazel and a friend was adorable and perfect, as far as I was concerned) or a coming-out narrative. Hazel's own confidence in her identity will no doubt be comforting to young queer readers, yet her (not unfounded) worries about being outed or treated differently by her peers as a result, make this a realistic, relatable depiction of what it's like to know you're queer at such a young age. Horne also really grasps the nuances of how tweens interact with one another- some of the bullying is really insidiously subtle, and some of is more overt, but at no point did this feel like the "bad health class videos," this book (rightly) mocks.

This is probably going to end up being one of my favourite books of the year: it was so compelling, and I raced through it. I will absolutely be rushing to grab a copy for my little cousin who's Hazel's age, the moment that this book is out, and couldn't recommend it enough. I want this book in every school and local library.

I loved this - perfect middle grade about girls learning to find their voices and fight back. Will definitely read something else by the same author

Okay, so. Initially I thought that this would be a book for 'girls', but the more I think about it, the more I think it is a book for everyone.

For girls - to empower them, to guide them, to show them that they don't have to put up with the kind of behaviour exhibited in this book.

For boys - this is how not to be a decent person. This is exactly how you shouldn't behave. I think boys could learn a lot from this book.

For adults - believe people when they tell you this behaviour is happening, my gosh.

I laughed, I cried, I cheered out loud, and I got very angry. I adored the friendship dynamics. I adored the queer rep.

What Maggie has managed to do here is create something exceptional.

Someone put this book on the curriculum!

VERY CUTE. This is a perfect book to gift to a younger girl you have in your life, a daughter, niece etc. It's a brilliant book of female empowerment and it's written by women for women. It follows three 12 year olds who want to highlight the popular guy at school is sexually harassing the other students. I loved how mature and certain they were. It was a great read!

Wow. I feel privileged to have read this beautifully crafted, feminist story. I laughed, cried and fell in love whilst reading this book. I can only imagine the empowerment this would provide to women and girls everywhere.

It deals with difficult issues really way, and highlights the importance of sharing stories. A book that should be read in schools everywhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade coming of age novel.

For a story based around sexual harrassment, it's surprisingly feel-good, filled with female friendship, humour and empowerment. Horne perfectly captures the pre-teen phase, and there's something particularly resonant about pitching this story to that age-group. I think there are a lot of young readers who will be able to relate to it, whether that's Hazel finding her own voice, the challenges she faces or the adults having to learn to take her seriously.

It's also fantastically well-written with warmth and humour, and so nicely paced that I found I couldn't put it down.

In short: Hazel Hill is a winner.